Method and means for facilitat



Jan. 19, 1954 Q M MELDAL 2,666,898

METHOD AND MEANS FOR FACILITATING CONNECTING ELECTRIC MULTICONDUCTORS IFiled July 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l \y ND INVENTOR. ODD' MODULF MELDALBY ATTORNEY Jan. 19, 1954 o. M. MELDAL METHOD AND MEANS FOR Filed July3, 1951 2,666,898 FACILITATING CONNECTING ELECTRIC MULTICONDUCTORS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ODD MODULF MELDAL BY ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 19, 1954 METHOD AND MEANSFOR FACILITAT- ING CONNECTING ELECTRIC MULTI- CONDUCTORS Odd Modulf.Meldal, Portland, Oreg.

ApplicationJuly 3, 1951, Serial No. 235,063

2 Claims.

This invention-relates in general to the problem of electricallyconnecting up a cable, or similar multiconductor, comprising 'aplurality of individual insulated electric wires, so that the sameindividual wire may be connected at each end of the multiconductor tothe proper respective current carrier and-contact element.

As is well known, when a conduit or cable having a number ofseparate-individual wires, such for example as control circuit wires, isrequired to be connected in one part of a building to correspondingincoming wires and at another part of the building to the correspondingcontrol circuits, the problem of selecting the right wire for eachconnection at the corresponding ends Of the cable or multiconductor is alaborioustask, and the amount of time consumed in ascertaining thecorresponding ends of the individual wires in order to make suchconnections is increased very considerably with an increase in thenumber of separate or individual wires inthe multiconductor.Heretoforethe procedure customarily followed has consisted of the methodof trial and error for each wire separately, and obviously this has beena lon procedure when the two ends of the multiconductor are considerablyremote from each other.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a convenient,simple and practical method andmeans whereby the ascertaining of thecorresponding endsof each individual wire and the connecting upof sucha-mult'iconductor can be accomplished with a minimum expenditure oftime; and labor.

A related object ofthe invention is to provide a practical means bywhich the corresponding ends of individual wires can be checked andidentified in quick succession when taken ina group at a time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a convenient and simplemeans by which the checking of the ends of the wires in a multiconductorcan be accomplished efiiciently by a single operator even though theends of the multiconductor are located in different parts of thebuilding or-otherwise widely separated. v

These objects I have beenable to achieve by the use of meansconsisting-of a pair of simple devices employed in combination inthemanner hereinafter briefly explained, one member of the combinationapparatus; comprising a special resistor block, and the other being instreet a simple ohmmeteras; will' be readily understood from thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying-drawings;

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing, more or less diagrammatically, the meansemployed in carrying out my invention and the manner of operation of thesame;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding wiring diagram; and

Fig. 3 is a foreshortened elevation of one of the individual plug-incords used in part of my apparatus.

Referring first to Fig. 1, "let it be assumed that a multiconductor A,having a plurality of individual conductor Wires I, 2, 3, 4,-forexample, has its terminus at some point in a building, and that a secondmulticonductor B, leading from the term'nus of A to some other. distantpoint in the building, has at least an equal number of separateconductor wires, which are to be "joined at the adjacent end B" of themulticonductor B to the incoming wires from the multiconductor B, andare to be joined at the other end B2 of the multiconductor B to se aratecontrol circuits, telephone connections, or to circuits, for some otherseparately operating installations.

The individual incoming wires l1, 2, 3, 4 of the multiconductor A willbe individually marked or tagged for identification as is customary.However, before the adjacent ends of the wires at the end B of themulticonductor B are connected with these incoming marked wires. ofmulticonductor A it" is necessary to determine which are thecorresponding ends of these wiresat the other and remote terminus B2 of.the multiconductor B.

A resistor assembly or block, indicated as a whole by the referencecharacter 20, is provided with a number of plug-in sockets 21 which areelectrically connected in series with a similar plug-in socket 22, theserial connections being through the medium of the successive resistorelements 23; Thus the resistance to the passage of an electric currentfrom any one of theplug-in.

sockets 21 to the socket 22 would be different for each of the sockets21' andwould depend upon the cumulative resistance of the variousresistor elements 23- in the line between that, particular socket 2| andthe. socket 22. I r

A plurality of plug-in cords 24 ('see Fig. 3') are provided, eachcordhaving a plug-in contact element 44 at one end, for plugging in toone of the sockets2 I or into thesocket 22; and'a contact.

clamp 45 at the other end for making a clamping contact with the end ofa. wire or withany other. conducting element.

A specially constructed ohmmeter, indi'c'atedlin.

general by the reference character 26' hasa'pair. of terminals" 21' and'28 connected to opposite

